Carl thought for a moment, looked up at Doflamingo, and said, "To be honest, I quite admire you, Doflamingo."
Originally, when Garling handed over the decision-making power to Carl, Doflamingo thought he was completely out of luck. After all, Carl looked too young. In Doflamingo's opinion, Garling's behavior showed that he didn't take him seriously at all, treating the situation as casually as handling a piece of garbage.
He didn't expect Carl to speak for him. Not giving him the death penalty was the best possible outcome. But now, hearing Carl say that he admired him reignited a glimmer of hope in Doflamingo's heart. He looked at Carl with renewed hope, realizing that his fate was entirely in Carl's hands.
However, Carl was in no hurry to make the final decision. He simply asked, "You have a younger brother, right? Why didn't he come here with you?"
Doflamingo was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, his name is Rosinante. He was startled and ran away somewhere."
"Oh, so you're the only one left in your family now. If you're allowed to return, are you sure you can stay with them?"
Doflamingo couldn't help but glance at Mjosgard, receiving only a look of disdain in return. He fell silent, knowing that Mjosgard's attitude represented the Donquixote family's feelings toward him. Carl was right; even if he were allowed to return, as a traitor's son, he might not even have a place to stay.
Among everyone in the hall, the only one who showed any concern for him was Carl. Regardless of how cruel Doflamingo would later become, he was still just a ten-year-old kid now, doing his best not to collapse under such immense pressure.
Now might be the most vulnerable time in his life. Even though Carl didn't mean to care about him when he asked, it warmed Doflamingo's cold heart. Coupled with Carl's unattainable status, this "care" became even more valuable.
So when Doflamingo spoke again, his title for Carl changed. "Lord Carl, what do you think I should do?"
Carl smiled slightly and said, "We, the Figarland family, can accept you."
"Nani!?"
Before Doflamingo could react, a burst of exclamations broke out in the conference hall. Garling also glanced at Carl in surprise but didn't say much. Mjosgard looked at Carl in disbelief and said, "Lord Carl, are you kidding me? He's the son of a traitor!"
Carl frowned, a wisp of black air floating out of the corner of his eyes, and said coldly, "What? Are you questioning my decision?"
Buzz!
Jet-black Conqueror's Haki emanated from Carl, and the lights in the conference hall dimmed instantly. Carl had suppressed his Conqueror's Haki to the limit, as these Celestial Dragons were too weak. But even so, under its influence, many Celestial Dragons felt dizzy, especially Mjosgard, who swayed and finally fell from his chair, sitting on the ground.
He had no idea what was happening and looked at Carl with horror. The other Celestial Dragons were also frightened and sat frozen in their chairs, not daring to move.
Saturn wasn't surprised by the Conqueror's Haki Carl displayed. It would be a huge surprise if the sole heir of the Figarland family didn't even have this qualification. Doflamingo had awakened Conqueror's Haki before due to an accident, but he was too young to know what it was, let alone control it.
Unaffected, all he saw was the scene where the Celestial Dragons were so frightened that they didn't even dare to make a sound after Carl finished speaking. But what shocked him the most was what Carl said. He still wondered if he had heard wrong.
That's the Figarland family! Doflamingo still remembered that when Homing decided to leave the family, he said that he was most worried about the Figarland family because the successive heads of this family have a privilege feared by all Celestial Dragons: they can judge Celestial Dragons.
Doflamingo never dreamed that he would have the opportunity to join this family one day. This was so surreal that he even stuttered when he spoke. "Lord Carl, are you serious?"
Carl frowned and said impatiently, "I don't have time to joke with you."
Doflamingo stared. He took a deep breath, then straightened his words and shouted, "If Lord Carl allows me to join the Figarland family, I am willing to swear allegiance to you to the death!"
"Well, you can go now."
"Ah?"
Doflamingo's mind was completely turned upside down. What does it mean that he can leave? Where does Carl want him to go? Is he supposed to report to the Figarland family?
He asked tentatively, "What does Lord Carl mean?"
"It means that you can leave Mary Geoise now and go to the outside world to have a good time. Come to me when you have enough strength. The Figarland family does not accept weaklings. I just gave you a chance. Why? Don't you want this opportunity?"
Carl's words were like a vivid painting on Earth. Of course, the picture he painted was indeed very tempting.
Doflamingo's face froze, and he wanted to say something more, but when he saw Carl's increasingly impatient expression, he immediately responded, "Yes! I am really grateful to Lord Carl for giving me this opportunity! I will definitely try my best and never let you down!"
After saying that, Doflamingo turned around and strode toward the door. Carl stopped him and said, "You must have put in a lot of effort to come here. When you take the elevator down, you'll see a ship. Go to the ship and find a man named Spandam. Just say that I asked you to find him. He will get you where you want to go."
Doflamingo immediately bowed deeply to Carl, tears of gratitude in his eyes, and kept his posture as he backed out to the door, finally turning around and leaving.
After he left, Garling suddenly said, "Carl, what are you thinking? Don't tell me you were just teasing him."
Carl smiled and said, "Uncle Garling, this time you are not as discerning as me. That guy has good potential. If he can be used by the family, he will definitely be a valuable asset."
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